Ventilated footwear



W. L. M. GENDRON Feb. 10, 1925.

VENT ILATED FOOTWEAR Filed Feb. 16, 1924 HTTUR/VE/f,

Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

NITED STATES WELLINGTON LAURENCE MANSON GENIDBON, OF KITGHENER, ONTARIO, CANADA.

VENTILATED FOOTWEAR.

Application filed February 16, 1924. Serial No. 693,325. 7

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WELLINGTON LAU- RENGE MANsoN GENDRON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of Kitchener, in the county of .Vaterloo, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ventilated Footwear, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ventilated footwear, invention is to devise a simple cheap device which cannot get out of order, whereby the interior of a boot or shoe may be ventilated, the drawing in and expelling of the air being automatically operated by the alternate pressure and relief of the foot upon the sole of the boot or shoe, and it consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View through a shoe showing my device incorporated therein.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken directly above the insole and showing the insole and air chamber broken away and partially in section.

Fig. 3 is a cross 83, Fig. 2.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 indicates the outsole of a boot or shoe.

2 indicates the heel, 3 the upper, 4 the counter and 5 the heel stiffening within which is located the lining 6.

The outsole 1 is preferably formed in two layers 1 and 1, the layer 1 being cut away to form a chamber 7 located between the instep and the ball of the foot, and over which the greater portion of the footpressure is exerted during walking.

8 is a channel extending rearwardly from the chamber 7 such channel extending to the rear end of the heel portion 2.

9 is a channel extending forwardly fi'om the chamber 7, provided at its outer end in the point of the toe with an enlargement 10.

11 is an insole located within a boot or shoe so as to form a covering for the chamber 7, the channels 8 and 9, and enlargement 10. The heel end of the insole is notched out at 12, for a purpose which will hereafter appear.

sectional view on line and the object of the 13 are a series of perforations formed in the insole over the enlargement 10.

14 is a flexible bag forming an air chamber, such bag being preferably made of rubberized cloth. The bag 1 1 fits the chamber 7, and is provided at its rear end with an orifice 15 opposite to the inner end of the channel 8. The forward end of the bag bi is provided with a small orifice 16 from which extends a tube 17, terminating ina one-way valve 18 formed by the permanentflattening of the tube 17.

19 are a series of rubber tubes cemented in position within the bag 1d, such tubes being resilient and serving to expand the bag after each collapsing movement expelling the air therefrom through the valve 18.

20 is a tube located in the channel 8 and extending rearward through the notch 12 of the insole and up the back of the heel between the stiffening and the counter to communicate at its upper end with the atmosphere. The opposite or inner end of the tube is provided with a oneway valve 21, which is also formed by the permanent flattening of the tube 18, the walls of the flattened portion being normally in contact, these flattened portions being forced apart by the passage of the air therethrough and contacting together after the passage of the air, thus preventing any return passage. The valves 18 and 21 are what are known in the trade as Flutter valves.

It will thus be seenthat by my construction, as the wearer of the shoe walks he alternately exerts and relieves the pressure upon the foot portion of the sole and there by alternately forces the bag 14: into a collapsed position against the action of the resilient tubes 19, thereby forcing the air contained in the bag outward through the valve into the channel enlargement 10 and through the perforation 13 into the interior of the shoe.

As the pressure is relieved, the bag 14c expands drawing in air through the valve 21, the valve 18 closing during this operation, and thereby causing the air which has already passed through the perforations 13 to find its way through the shoe around and beneath the foot of the wearer, thereby ventilating the shoe.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple device by which an article of footwear will be thoroughly ventilated by means which is simple, inexpensive, easily manufactured. and which cannot getout of order? 7 What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an article of footwear, the combination with the outsole provided with a chambered portion located between the in step and the point ofthe shoe terminating at its forward'end in larged extremity, a flexible bag located in the chamber, a valved duct connecting the rear of the bag with the atmosphere, a valved outlet at-the opposite end of the bag adapted to discharge the air into the duct enlargement, and for expanding the bag after each collapsing movement, and an insole extending over the chamber bag and duct enlargement and provided with perforations over said duct enlargement.

2. In an article of footwear, the combination with the outsole having a chamber located between theinstep and the point of the sole, terminatingat its forward end in a duct having an enlargement at its outer a duct having an en-' means within the bag end, a flexible bag located inithechamber provided at one end with: a valved inlet and at its opposite end with a valved outlet located Within the aforesaid ductga series of resilient t-ubes'loc'ated in the bag to-hold the bag in its normally expanded position and an insole provided with perforations located over the-duot enlargement;

3. In an article of footwear, the combination with the outsole chambered out be tween :the instep and the point of the sole, of a duct extending forward from the chambered-v portion terminatinghin an enlargement, a flexible bag fittingithe chamber having anhinlet at oneend andnan outlet at the opposite end,,flutter valves for con trolling the inletand outlet-of air, a tube leadingafroin: the atmosphere to the aforesaid inlet,- vie ldable means for holding the baglnormally expanded, andan-insole provided with perforations over the aforesaid duct enlargement.

WELLINGTON LAURENCE MANSONGENDRON, 

